Kurobasu Zoo
by weirdgrammar
Summary: Just a normal zoo, one might think. However, once the sun has set, it's a chaos. Kagami, GoM, and others go berserk. And Kuroko knows how to deal with it. Brimming over with cuteness, fluffiness, stupidity, possessiveness and actions. animal!GoM X human!Kuroko X animal!Kagami. *HIATUS, gravitates towards DISCONTINUED*
1. LIFE

**Title: Kurobasu Zoo.**

**Disclaimer: Fujimaki Tadatoshi.**

**Character(s): All (I guess?)**

**Warning(s): AU, OCCness (?) or anything you may find it weird and dangerous.**

* * *

Everyone dreams to have an adventure in their life. Living in a different world, different routine. Feeling the surge of adrenaline in their veins. Excitements. Risks.

Special.

Different.

And a calm guy named Himuro Tatsuya has tasted them even though he didn't ask for it at first place. Though, not that he complains about it.

At first glance, he's just a normal good-looking guy, who is working as a zookeeper at Kurobasu Zoo for his living. Giving his best to make sure the visitors feel content and safe while visiting the zoo.

His life is normal.

From dawn till evening, that is.

* * *

"Himuro-san, I'll go watch panther cage," says a teal-blue haired boy, Kuroko Tetsuya, who is a zookeeper too. His sudden appearance always gives everyone mini heart attacks despite they've been working together for months. Sometimes Himuro wonders, will he ever get used with Kuroko's 'surprise attack'.

"Yeah, I'll take care of Taiga," he raises an arm, watching Kuroko nod and leave while being accompanied by a Golden Retriever.

Looking around, he can't spot any visitors no more. It's understandable, since the zoo is close at 1630. And he knows his senpai, Okumura Kenichi is working his ass off to kick any visitors left.

Because no one can witness what'll happen in this zoo later.

Himuro, then, walks off and stands in front of tiger's cage. He touches the bar and smiles at the tiger inside. As if it could understand him, the tiger gets on his four feet and comes closer. Himuro reaches out his hand to pat the beast. Somehow, the beast lets Himuro pat its head.

"Hey, Taiga. Be patient, 'kay? Just 5 minutes left," he says as he glances at his wristwatch. 5 minutes before 1700.

The tiger grunts softly.

"tzzt… Kasamatsu's here…tzzt" the walkie-talkie on his hips buzzes. "tzzt…In front of bear cage….tzzt…I'm ready….tzzt…Over."

The calmed zookeeper takes the walkie-talkie: "Got it, over."

"tzzt…Me too! In front of bunny cage!...tzzt…Over!" Himuro knows that voice: it's his cheerful junior, Takao Kazunari.

"Got that too. Over," he chuckles a little over his junior's antics.

The sound of the main clock ringing hits his eardrums, jolting him. Suddenly, a thick, mysterious smoke fills the whole 110 acres of the zoo, suffocating his lungs, making his eyes watery. It doesn't stop there. There follows screams, roars, shrieks that piercing in the air, deafening his ears.

Himuro falls on his knees, hasn't gotten used to those sounds, covering his assaulted ears. He nervously steals a glance at the rattling tiger cage. Then, he catches a _human_ _voice_ screaming from the cage, before hearing the gate is being unlocked.

His mind tells him to catch _him_ before _he _goes berserk!

Stretching his arms, Himuro tries to capture a figure that suddenly emerges from thick smokes. However, the figure outsmarts him and dodges his hands and jumps over the startled Himuro using his body as a trampoline.

"Haha! Tatsuya cannot catch me~!" a kid's voice echoes. The kid laughs out loud, mocking Himuro while running away, but suddenly stops: "Aaaaaaahh! KUROKO, LET GO!"

"Kagami-kun, please behave yourself," Kuroko appears as the smoke disappears, holding a red haired kid up: "And apologize to Himuro-san."

The redhead pulls his face, but murmurs 'Sorry…' after Kuroko knitted his eyebrows. Himuro gives out small chuckles and ruffles his red hair: "It's nothing. Good to see you so energetic, Taiga. And seems you've learned how to unlock the gate."

Kagami swings his tails playfully, moves his cat ears and lets out delighted giggles, revealing his small fangs.

It may sound stupid and ridiculous to others, but it's the truth.

The little boy called Kagami Taiga is actually a half-human tiger.

It's the biggest secret that Kurobasu zoo holds. The animals that reside in Kurobasu zoo have capable of transforming themselves into humans from evening till dawn. Though, Himuro and his colleagues don't know how they do it—only the zoo manager and Kuroko know, but they never discuss about it and Himuro respects their decision.

And that's the abnormalities in his life.

Seeing and witnessing half-human animals playing around him like normal children playing with their friends.

But, it's fun too.

"Ne, ne~ I want pat too-ssu!" another voice chimes, tugging Kuroko's jeans. Kuroko gives Taiga to Himura and picks up a blond kid. The kid screams happily and wags his tail: "Yay, Kurokocchi carries me~!"

"Kise-kun, don't move too much. You'll fall over."

Kise Ryouta, a Golden Retriever, is a very cheerful and loud kid. And loves to whine too—Himuro's opinion. He's the only animal that isn't kept in cage, because he's an obedient dog. But, sometimes, Himuro finds him very troublesome too.

Kagami suddenly jerks up and hisses in Himuro's arms. Himuro notices Kagami's face twisted in angry. His grip grows stronger to keep Kagami down. Himuro knows Kagami must have sense his ultimate rival somewhere nearby.

"Haha." a voice echoes. "Kagami got caught so damn easily. No wonder you can't beat me, Kagami."

"AOMINE!" Kagami snarls.

A tanned boy snickers, moving his dark blue tail from side to side, mocking the kid in Himuro's hands. Himuro sighs inwardly. Aomine Daiki, Black Panther, always picks fight with Kagami whenever he can. But, Himuro does admit that he sometimes finds it fun to watch them bicker at each other.

"Shuu… Taiga, calm down," However, as the Kurobasu's zookeeper, keeping the zoo in peace is still his top priority.

Aomine's evil laughter grows louder and louder, provoking the tiger.

"I wanna play with Aominecchi~!" Kise jumps off Kuroko, startling both Kuroko and Himuro. The blond kid charges forward with his claws—'play', he said. However, Aomine's agility is the best in the zoo. The panther dodges lazily and snickers.

Meanwhile, to Himuro's surprise, Kagami's lost from Himuro's grip and lashes out with his claws. Aomine parries the attack and trips Kagami down with his tail. Himuro's eyes widen seeing Kagami fall on the ground and groan loudly before his eyes.

"RYOUTA'S CRUSH-SSU!" the Golden Retriever jumps over Aomine. However, once again, Aomine steps aside, eyes glazing, as Kise lands on the ground heavily. Kise's face is crumpled up, and he bursts into tears, bawling his eyes out.

The tanned boy roars into laughter watching his rivals lay helplessly on the ground. But, Kuroko's dark aura startles him—Himuro too, actually.

"Aomine-kun…" Kuroko stares at the blue haired boy. His shadow looms over the panther.

Scared of the teal haired zookeeper, Aomine flees.

"ATSUSHI!" another small voice chips in.

Out of blue, a purple haired kid, taller a bit than other kids, tackles Aomine down. The sound of the impact resounds loudly, convinces Himuro 'Wow, that's sure hurts!' The panther's eyes are white and he doesn't move a bit.

Aomine Daiki, K.O.

The kid gets up and fishes a snack out from his pocket, stuffing it into his mouth.

"Atsushi, don't you think tackling him is a bit too rough?" Himuro asks as he reaches put to pick Kagami up. But, Kagami refuses to be carried and he jogs to poke his ultimate rival. And Murasakibara joins in too.

Again, small chuckles escape Himuro.

Muraskibara Atsushi, the tallest kid, is a Brown Bear. To Himuro, he's a special kid and loves snack so much. Though, in others' eyes, he might be a retarded kid. And Himuro enjoys his accompany.

"Hut, Aha-hin thold mhe sho (But, Aka-chin told me so)," he says with his mouth full with snacks.

A short redhead walks proudly towards them with a smirk on his face and a pair of scissors in his hand.

The lion, Akashi Seijuro is the animal leader in the zoo—that's what he claims. He's too small for a lion but, his attitude and confidence outgrow him. No animals shall oppose him. Not Kagami. Not Aomine.

Himuro enjoys observing the little red king whenever he acts like he owns the zoo.

Then, Kasamatsu appears, huffing and puffing, catching them from behind: "Akashi, I told you, don't play with scissors!" Then, he jumps seeing Kise cry: "Hey, who made him cry?!"

"This idiot," Kagami points at unconscious Aomine. Himuro's eye twitches a little.

"No bad word, Taiga."

"He _is _an idiot," Akashi comments and Murasakibara repeats 'Ahomine~ Ahomine~'. Kise covers his mouth, suppressing his sobs and hiccups when Kasamatsu threatens him 'no games for tonight if you don't stop crying'. Kagami makes an ugly face, protesting Himuro, but he ignores the tiger. And Aomine is still lying unconsciously with eyes spinning.

Himuro can't help but turn his head around, looking for a familiar teal blue lock. Then, he sighs. He can't find any sign of Kuroko—again.

"Wow, what happened? Don't tell me I've missed the party," Takao just appears with Midorima, the bunny, riding behind him.

Midorima adjusts his glasses: "I don't want to get involved into _their _party-nanodayo."

"So cold, Shin-chan," Takao chuckles a little. "But, that makes you you."

The calmed guy cracks a small smile. His junior and the bunny are really close to each other. Just like him and the tiger.

"Shintarou, your bunny ears trouble me a lot. I keep thinking of cutting it off," Akashi plays with his scissors and wags his tail excitedly. Himuro's ears perk up at the voice. A warning rings in his head: 'Must stop Akashi before he really cuts it!'

Midorima immediately covers his ears with his hands and Takao brings Midorima away from Akashi.

"Atsushi, carry me. We're going to cut Shintarou's ears!" Murasakibara crouches down as to let the lion sit on his shoulders and begins to chase the bunny. Takao runs to save his bunny's life.

"Seems fun!" Kise's recovered and pursues Midorima too.

Kasatmatsu reaches out his hand to stop Kise but fails and shouts: "Hey, KISE! STOP! I'LL HIT YOU LATER!" and goes to after the dog.

Himuro swivels round to catch those kids, but stops when he spots Kagami lifting a rock up in the air, ready to hit Aomine. The tiger snickers: "Hehe, die Ahomine."

"TAIGA! STOP!"

It's absolute mayhem!

"ENOUGH!" a very loud, high-pitched voice astounds them, freezing their movements.

A teenager girl is panting, standing next to Kuroko. The girl is his employer, or daughter of the owner of Kurobasu zoo, Aida Riko. Her eyes are blazing with fury, teeth grinding, fists clenching.

"Enough!"

Himuro shuts his eyes close, readying his ear to be attacked by his employer.

"Bakagami! Stop fighting with Aomine-kun! He's unconscious, anyway! What are you?! A weakling who loves to hit unconscious people?!" Riko flares at him.

"I'm not Bakagami!"

Then, she faces Kise: "Kise-kun, I thought you are an obedient dog! And yet, you're playing chasing your own friend! And stop making that puppy face! I don't buy it!"

"Eh? But this is my face!"

"Murasakibara-kun," she points at the tallest kid: "Stop following Akashi-kun's words blindly, or I'll stop giving you snacks!"

"AHH! Anything but snacks!"

"And you, Akashi-kun!" her hands are on her hips. "Don't think you are a king."

"But, I am the king!" Akashi fires back.

"And I'm the zoo manager!" she snatches the scissor from Akashi. "And I'm confiscating your scissor!"

"NOOOOOOOO!"

The America's returnee can't help chuckling over their arguments and his zoo manager rage.

Riko ignores Akashi's pout and checks on Aomine. She carefully examines the panther, in case he's got concussion. The zoo manager cares about them after all. She sighs: "Never mind, I'll ask Momoi to deal with him later. Kuroko-kun, watch them, okay?" and she leaves.

"So, that's why you went missing," Himuro says.

Kuroko hums a little: "It's much easier like this."

That day, he learns Kuroko always has something up his sleeves to deal with these crazy animals.

And he needs to learn those tricks too.

* * *

**weirdgrammar: Urgh, why did I write this at first place?**

**KAGAMI: Wait! Why animals?!**

**AKASHI: weirdgrammar, this isn't funny at all, if you're making a joke.**

**HIMURO: Taiga's a cute tiger.**

**AOMINE: Hey! Why am I losing?! Supposed no one can beat me but me!  
**

**MURASAKIBARA: Guess that isn't true anymore.**

**MIDORIMA: So, I'm a... rabbit?**

**TAKAO: It's bunny, Shin-chan~**

**KISE: Haha~ I'm free~!**

**KASAMATSU: Kise, stay put or I'll hit you!**

**RIKO: Everyone, BUCKLE UP!**

**KUROKO: At least, I'm a grown-up man here.**

**weirdgrammar: TBC...**


	2. EAT

**Title: Kurobasu Zoo.**

**Disclaimer: Fujimaki Tadatoshi.**

**Character(s): Like before (?)**

**Warning(s): AU, meat!**

* * *

Want to experience something different?

Go to Kurobasu Zoo, after the zoo is closed.

I assure you, they'll never disappoint you.

If you could pass the guard; Okumura Kenichi-san, that is.

* * *

"La la la la la~ meal~ meal~" a blond kid with a wagging tail sings.

"La la la la la~ meal~ meal~" a tall purple haired kid, who is standing behind the dog sings in his languish sleepy voice.

"Roar~ roar~ roar~~! Meat~! Meat~!" two big cats grin broadly from ear to ear, exposing their small sharp fangs, swaying their tails side to side happily.

Meanwhile, the zookeeper, who has short, spikey black hair, large but sharp grey eyes and thick eyebrows, named Kasamatsu Yukio feels nervous sweep over his body.

He really hates this 'particular' of his duty as a Kurobasu zookeeper, but it can't be helped. It must be done—or these unusual kids are gonna destroy the zoo for real.

Nevertheless, he's glad that these kids still behave themselves. _At least_, they're willing to wait for his 'signal'.

Kasamatsu turns his body, facing a small building with a signboard 'Food Store' on top, and inserts the key in the lock.

The kids suddenly stop singing and bend their bodies forward, looking at him in anticipation. The adult one swears he can hear his own heart beats ringing in his ears.

"Gods, please spare my life..." Kasamatsu takes a deep breath.

Once the 'click' sound is heard, they rush into the storeroom, jumping, running and even stepping on the poor zookeeper, and grab anything that their hands can reach!

The dog, Kise is grinning happily and stuffs a ton of various foods into his jacket and pants pockets and even carries them in his small hands, while the bear named Murasakibara's using his sweater hoodie as his pocket to place all his snacks. The tiger, Kagami and the panther, Aomine are fighting over a meat, screaming 'Mine, ya' idiot!'

A bunny, who is sitting in the distance, just shakes his head and sighs watching the chaotic scene: "It's tiring to see them like this every day. And why I'm staying with them?"

"'Cause they're fun, na Shin-chan?"

His right cheek is poked by a bowl of salad. He turns around and his green eyes meet the silvery blue one.

"No, they aren't fun," the bunny replies sharply. "And, Takao, don't call me Shin-chan! It's Midorima-nanodayo!"

"Haha~ Shin-chan is being tsun-tsun again!" the zookeeper named Takao crouches down and holds out the bowl. "Here, your meal," he cracks a smile; special for his beloved bunny.

With pouting lips, Midorima takes the bowl and starts to eat while listening to his personal zookeeper chattering about his duty again.

The mighty lion, Akashi Seijurou finally steps into the scene, wearing his usual smirk. He stands before Kasamatsu and stares sharply straight into his eyes, asking: "Where's my meal?"

"Hey, honorific! Where's the honorific?!" Kasamatsu shouts loudly. He can feel a vein throbbing on his forehead.

"I fail to see what importance of honorific is. I'm the king of animal kingdom."

"And I'm a human! Basically, I have a higher hierarchy than you!"

"I couldn't care less about that. I just want my meal," the little one says sternly.

"Screw your meal! Not only you're acting high and mighty, but you only eat expansive steaks! That's way too much!" At last, Kasamatsu can't contain his anger anymore.

"So?" he questions curtly.

"So, no meal for you today!"

Akashi stands in surprised, as if he was struck by lightning. It takes him a minute to register Kasamatsu's words. Finally, senses come back to him: "What?! That's unacceptable!"

"Akashi-kun, Kasamatsu-san is correct," Kuroko's voice jolts both of them. Kasamatsu and Akashi whip their heads to see Kuroko sitting on a rock and…

…fishing…?

He's fishing Kagami and Aomine with a meat? And those cats keep jumping around to steal the meat but to no avail.

"Can you cut that out, Kuroko?" Himuro chimes in. "I really wish not to see Taiga jumping around like a fish trying to eat bait," regardless, small chuckles escape him.

Himuro's words strike both Kagami and Aomine and snap them back to their nature. "Hey, Kuroko/Tetsu! How dare you do this to me?!"

Kuroko jumps off the rock, rubs the dust off his butt, and sighs wearily: "Himuro-san, you just ruined my entertainment." And Himuro mouths 'sorry' as he brushes past them to go for cleaning.

"I ain't your entertainer!" Kagami and Aomine scream in a perfect synchronization.

"Wha~~ perfect tune, Kagamicchi, Aominecchi! Let's perform a choir~" Kise hugs the cats.

"Haha~ great, Kise. I totally agree with your brilliant idea~!" Himuro shouts in the distance.

"Yadda! Do it yourself," again, they are synchronizing, pushing Kise away. But, it doesn't stop Kise from disturbing them.

"Anyway, Akashi-kun," Kuroko ignores those big cats whining. "Your food cost is too high. You'll give the zoo manager headache. Why don't you try to eat something 'normal'?"

"No! Define what is normal first! And I'm suing this zoo for neglecting my welfare!"

"Please think twice, _lion king_. And I believe everything in this zoo is quite normal compared to you, _lion king_."

That stops Akashi abruptly. He just realizes that he _is _a lion. How the hell is he supposed to sue the zoo without revealing himself in public? And lion suing the zoo? What a nice joke for the media.

"So, what'll you do, _lion king_?"

"Stop that, Tetsuya. I hate you," the lion folds his arms, puffing a breath.

"And I like you too, Akashi-kun," the teal haired zookeeper flashes a small smile, tilting his head a little.

The heterochromatic eyed boy is startled, yet his face betrays nothing—though his cat ears do twitch.

"Aha-hin, ish yhouh sthomah huth? (Aka-chin, is your stomach hurt?)" Murasakibara asks with a Mauibo in his mouth and pushes the lion gently.

But, the redhead doesn't answer.

"Aha-hin?"

"Tetsuya," Akashi looks up. "It's your win. I'll eat something cheaper," then, he faces Kasamatsu: "Give me something like Daiki's and Taiga's."

"Wow, you changed?" Kasamatsu jerks up. "What did you do, Kuroko?" he asks as he passes a piece of meat over. Akashi takes it and joins Murasakibara without any complain.

A smile is played on Kuroko's thin lips and he winks: "Nothing in particular."

* * *

**KAGAMI & AOMINE: Kuroko/Tetsu! Don't treat me like a child.  
**

**KUROKO: You guys are children.**

**AKASHI: Steak...**

**MURASAKIBARA: Ne~ Aka-chin, don't be sad. Here, a chocolate for you.**


	3. GOTCHA

**Title: Kurobasu Zoo.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine~**

**Character(s): 1st chapter.**

**Warning(s): AU, bad guys, small fight.**

**Note: Some reviewers noted me this fic is similar to Oumagadoki Doubutsuen. So, I tried to check it out, and amazingly they're almost similar! I didn't see that coming at all! Honestly, I didn't realize about this at all. This idea came on a whim, really. So, any similarities that you might find are totally coincidence. Oh, I should get some sleep now. It's already 2 a.m. here.**

* * *

"Kurokocchi, I want to play~~~~~" a blonde weredog whines, tugging the soft blue eyed zookeeper's shirt, distracting him from continuing to do some clean up. The zookeeper, Kuroko, sighs and picks the blonde up, but another two pairs of arms pulling his legs stops him.

"Tetsu, I'm bored!" a tanned boy shouts, his dark blue tail swishing side to side. Another kid, weretiger, forms pouting lips, giving him puppy eyes.

"Aomine-kun, Kagami-kun, please don't pull my legs. I'm busy. Play with Akashi-kun and Murasakibara-kun," Kuroko reaches out to ruffle their hairs. He steals a glance to see said children; they seem so restless. Murasakibara gnaws his snack very slowly. Akashi keeps playing with his favorite red scissor. Meanwhile, the bunny, Midorima clenches his kitty doll tightly. They don't utter a word, however, the atmosphere obviously screams 'I'm frigging bored!'

Kuroko tilts his head to side and closes his eyes, racking his brains. Bored animals and children are harmless, but not WEREANIMALS. They could destroy the zoo, the city even, when the bored graph has reached its peak.

For once, he hopes Takao would be there with him. Takao might be a very noisy zookeeper, but he knows how to fish out their attentions. Besides, Takao is Midorima's favorite zookeeper. His presence may help lighten Midorima's grumpy mood.

"Okay, I have an idea," Kuroko snaps his fingers. "How about we play police officer and bad guys?" As if on cue, Akashi and Murasakibara scoot over closer, looking at him with sparkling eyes. Kuroko's lips curve into a smile knowing he's caught their interests.

"Game? How we play it?" happiness slips in Kise's voice.

"One of you," Kuroko flicks Kagami's nose, much to the weretiger's dismay. "Becomes a police officer," he, then, darts around from a pair of eyes to another. "The others are bad guys. The police officer will chase these bad guys. Once the police officer touches you, you're arrested."

"Sounds fun! Let's play, then. I'll be the bad guy!" Aomine pumps his hands up excitedly.

"No way! You just can't decide who you want to be!" Kagami protests loudly.

"You're scared that you can't catch me, aren't you?"

"Of course not! Why would I—"

"—Enough!" the heterochromatic eyed werelion puts an end to their argument. His eyes blaze in sternness. "Taiga, stop yelling. My ears dislike loud sounds. Daiki, Taiga is right. You can't decide yourself. That's not fair to everyone," he says in the strictest confidence.

"Well, then~ we should decide it with Janken~" the purple haired giant kid suggests.

That catches them off guard. Getting a suggestion from the childish giant is very rare. Nonetheless, Midorima regains his composure and says; "Janken, that is. Form a circle."

The soft blue haired zookeeper backs away to provide those children some spaces to form a circle. He lets out small chuckles seeing them shout 'JAN~KEN~PON!' in synchronized. Watching them relive his childhood memories.

Everyone shows 'paper' except Akashi; he shows 'scissor'. The werelion cracks the infamous smirk of triumph of his. He steps away from the circle while wishing 'Good Luck.' Kise laughs, and Kagami discerns the half-heartedly tone. It's a general knowledge that Akashi always uses 'scissor' when he plays Janken, due to his great fondness for scissors. And everyone knows that beating Akashi in any games—Janken as well—could lead them to a free trip to hell, _sponsored_ by Akashi, of course.

Akashi embraces his egoism and expresses it very well, that no one could deny his words.

The other wereanimals continue playing Janken until Aomine is the last person left. His face distorts into disappointment, not satisfied with the fact that he's the police officer. Kuroko gently pats Aomine's back to calm him down; "It's okay. You just need to catch them all. I believe you can do it. You're a panther, after all."

The compliment brightens his dark features, putting a smile on his face. Aomine clenches his hands excitedly. "Yeah, Tetsu is right. I'm a panther. I'm _the_ panther! No one can beat me but me!"

Kagami clicks his tongue indignantly.

"Okay. Aomine-kun will count till 10, while you guys run away," Kuroko shouts while raising his arm. "Start count now, Aomine-kun."

"10!"

The other wereanimals are scattering around the zoo.

"9, 8!"

Kise disappears behind the lion's closure.

"7, 5!"

"It's 6, Aomine-kun," Kuroko corrects him.

"Tsk, 6, 5!"

Akashi and Murasakibara look tiny and petty in Aomine's vision.

"4, 3!"

Kagami is nowhere to be seen.

"2!"

Midorima is in his predator range. The panther can't help smirking wickedly knowing there's a helpless prey in his radar.

"1!"

The navy blue haired boy immediately launches himself forward with his strong leg muscles, startling Kuroko, who's been standing beside him. Midorima clocks the sudden change of atmosphere, turning his head back and widening his eyes seeing the coming attack. He tries to quicken his pace, but rabbit is rabbit. He knows, in Aomine's eyes, he's nothing but a delicious meat waiting to be devoured by his predator.

Midorima screws his eyes shut and clutches his doll tighter as his last resolve, wishing Takao would show up miraculously in front of him and save his life. But, it's not happening. In fact, nothing happens. The werebunny pops his eyes and jolts seeing Aomine's goofy smile. Aomine uses the hesitation and flicks Midorima's forehead.

"Relax, I won't eat you," the tanned boy chuckles.

The green haired kid pouts as he retreats to Kuroko's side. The zookeeper welcomes him with a warm hug, calming the kid down.

Aomine rubs his nose, feeling a little bit guilty for scaring Midorima. But, the feeling dissolves when he spots familiar heterochromatic eyes not far from his position. Grinning broadly from ear to ear, Aomine proceeds to arrest the werelion. No room for hesitation, no room for sympathy. Lion is the king of animal kingdom, and this may the only chance for Aomine to claim the throne.

"GOTCHA, AKASHI!" the werepanther lashes out with his claws, but Akashi remains calm; he doesn't flinch at all. His dual-colored eyes bore deeply into Aomine's midnight eyes, still standing on his own ground.

The panther instinct warns Aomine this isn't a right thing to do. But, his thirst for power blinds his judgment, pushing Aomine to attack Akashi. When his claws are about to touch Akashi's face, something seizes him by the arm. Looking up, a very scary face greets his eyes. For instant, Aomine feels like falling on his knees and curling himself.

"No one can hurt Aka-chin."

Even though Murasakibara's voice is sleepy and languid, but Aomine knows better. The glare vividly conveys him the death is waiting for him if he doesn't step back. Murasakibara's deadly aura skins him alive, sending chill racing down his spine. Fear has its death grip on his neck. The atmosphere feels heavy against his shoulders. Aomine's cat-ears flatten against his head, his instinct screaming with frighten.

"Back off, Mine-chin," the werebear says.

And back off he does. His arm hurts and his pride is injured, but he has nothing to complain as long as Murasakibara doesn't tear him apart. With sulking face, Aomine examines his arm but a light touch on his swishing tail surprises him. He quickly turns his head to left.

"Oh, you've got us, Daiki," a smile is plastered on Akashi lips.

"Eh~~? I thought Aka-chin wants to play this game~" Murasakibara's light tone brightens the atmosphere again. "Why you touch Mine-chin? See, now Mine-chin has got you!"

"How about Atsushi, then?" Akashi crosses his arms over his chest. "Did you touch Daiki too?"

That catches Murasakibara off guard.

"Ah~! Aka-chin is right," the childish giant scratches his head furiously. "I still want to play~~"

"Atsushi, just accept it. We'll play again together."

"Hm, okay," regardless, Murasakibara is still pouting and not happy with his sudden protective action.

Relief sweeps over Aomine's body seeing the purple haired kid finally rest his chin on Akashi's head—everyone knows whenever Murasakibara does that, it means he's calmed down. At last, Aomine releases a long breath which he doesn't even realize that he's been holding.

"Geez, that scared the hell outta me."

…

Kise pokes his head around the lion closure corner to check for Aomine's presence. His eyes drift across the area, his ears perking up, looking for any suspicious sound. Once awhile, his dog-ears stir when a sudden breeze rustles through the long grass.

"Hehehe, Aominecchi can't find me~ Aominecchi can't find me~" he jumps around in joy.

"Says who?"

The weredog quickly whips his body. His face drains all its color seeing the tanned predator relax on the nearby bench with a smirk creeping over his face.

"Aominecchi? How can I not smell your scent?!"

Seriously, that puzzles Kise. As a dog, he has the keenest nose amongst them. However, this time his nose has failed him. Betrays him, in fact. Crushes his pride as well.

"Well, all I need to do is find the direction of wind and walk against it," Aomine says nonchalantly, proud swelling in his chest. For once, Aomine feels like a genius.

"Oh, can't believe Aominecchi could think of something like that," Kise remarks half-heartedly as he slowly backs away; one step in a time. Though, he can't refute that his heart is slamming crazily against his ribcage. Cold sweats drip off his face, his fingers feel so cold.

Meanwhile, Aomine's wicked smile hasn't left his face.

"I love to surprise people after all."

"Then, I shall congratulate you for successfully surprising me. That's all, ja ne~!" With that, Kise quickly runs off. And so does Aomine. Glancing over his shoulder, Kise widens his eyes seeing Aomine get closer and closer every step he taking. Damn, he really wants to morph into his animal form; that could help distance himself with the predator. However, Kise knows Aomine will do the same. And Aomine is even scarier in his panther form.

German shepherd vs. Panther?

Like… seriously?!

Distracted by his jumbled thoughts, Kise doesn't realize the werepanther until he feels a heavy impact land on his back, knocking him down. His chin hits against the cold asphalt, causing him to groan loudly. The attack jars every bone in his small body. Heck, Kise can't breathe at all.

"Ouch, that must be very hurt," Aomine chuckles evilly.

"Get off me, Aominecchi!" Kise's voice is shaking. Suddenly, his nose picks up Kagami's scent. It's a faint smell, very subtle, fusing along the light breeze, but enough to bring out Aomine's real nature, igniting his predator spirit. Fully acknowledging what may come, Kise grabs Aomine's hand, however it's too late.

Way too late.

In a matter of seconds, he can no longer feel any load behind his back. The blonde kid glances up, but Aomine has disappeared from his sight. In the silence, Kise whispers a prayer of apology for not being able to stop what may come later.

…

"KAGAMIIIIIIII!"

Said kid feels the sudden changes of wind pressure and dodges his head to left as a reflex. A stretched tanned hand whizzes past smoothly his cheek. If he wasn't a wereanimal, he'd have a big hole in his skull right now. Kagami recognizes that hand; who else has a very dark skin in this zoo anyway? The redhead swerves round sharply to avoid another claw attack from Aomine, growling loudly as a warning, before immediately retaliates with a powerful kick. However, Aomine is faster. He jumps off the ground and clings to a nearby tree.

"Ahomine," he hisses.

"Yo, Bakagami," the tanned boy says as he climbs and sails to the edge of branch.

Their predator instinct roars loudly inside them, wanting to draw each other's blood. Kagami bares his fangs while Aomine elongates his sharp claws. Their tails stand in bushy, swaying from side to side in aggressive way. Eyes narrow into slits, providing them an efficient hunting vision. Hisses and deep dangerous growls fill the tensed atmosphere, killing aura heating up the heavy air.

Someone is going to bleed, it seems.

With a loud roar, they charge towards each other.

Out of nowhere, something catches their tails, ceasing their movement. They both scream in agony as they feel sharp pain course through their small bodies. Aomine can feel him floating even higher, higher and higher off the ground. Turning his head back, he's taken aback seeing a teenage wereeagle flap his black-white wings with a smile spreading across his face.

"Izuki-san?!" he shouts.

"Aomine, please stop tossing around before I toss you down," Izuki says.

"Wow, seriously? After been missing for days, and first thing you told me is your lame pun?"

"Sorry, I can't help it," carefully and gently, Izuki pulls Aomine up—fully aware that he might hurt Aomine's tail—so that the tanned boy could climb his body and cling behind his back. Certain with Aomine's safety, he, then, swishes through the air towards Kagami.

Kagami looks up to the heavens to see Aomine flying through the air with another wereanimal. He moves forward, but the grip on his cat tail grows stronger, causing Kagami to cancel his plan of saving Aomine.

"Stop moving, d'aho!"

That voice! It's Hyuuga-san, a teenage werebadger.

"Hyuuga-san, when did you—OWWWWW! Let my tail go!—desu!"

At last, the werebadger lets him go. Kagami brings his tail closer and blows the sore spot gently. Gosh, that hurts! Hyuuga folds his arms, scowling at the weretiger. He's nothing like Akashi, but his curses still could spear someone's heart very deeply.

"Who told you to kill each other?" Hyuuga asks as he adjusts his glasses.

"That… no one. We… were playing, but then…"

"—But what?!"

Kagami can't help squeaking hearing the sharp tone, ears flattening. But, a gentle touch on his shoulder calms him, ebbing his fear away. Titling his head up, he welcomes with a warm smile. A very warm smile which only belongs to a familiar zookeeper, Kiyoshi Teppei.

"Hyuuga, please don't yell. You scared Kagami, you know," Kiyoshi's light tone soothes Kagami's heart.

"They are about to kill each other, for Moon's sake!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know," the zookeeper holds up his hands to show his submissiveness. Don't mess with badger. An angry badger is very, very scary, after all. "At least, they don't get hurt yet, right?"

"YET!" Hyuuga emphasizes the word.

"I'm sorry for everything, Kiyoshi-san, Hyuuga-san!" Kuroko suddenly appears out of nowhere, giving them mini heart attacks. Kise is sniffing and dabbing his eyes in Kuroko's arm, while another hand is holding Midorima's hand. Akashi struts behind Kuroko with his bodyguard, Murasakibara.

Then, Izuki and Aomine touchdown on the ground not far from Kiyoshi. Aomine looks refreshed—probably he's happy after flying freely.

"Oh, Kuroko, don't worry about it. We should've gotten used to this," the older zookeeper pets Kagami and Aomine's heads. His giant palms almost cover their heads, to their dismay. "How about Kise? Why is he crying?" he eyes the blonde kid, showing his concern.

"Apparently, there is a certain panther knocked Kise-kun down without thinking about the consequences," anger slips in Kuroko's calm voice, giving Aomine a chill of apprehension rushing in his body.

"Che, I just pushed him down! Kise is a crybaby for crying over it!" Aomine retorts back despite of shaking voice.

"I… I'm not crying! I'm just… just expressing my pain!" then, again, Kise bursts into tears.

"'expressing' my ass," the tanned boy mutters under his breath.

"Aomine-kun!"

The panther squeals in fear, turning his head away as he runs off. Kagami barks a laugh watching his ultimate rival turn tail and flee. Hyuuga remarks something stupid and Izuki tries to make another pun—fails, of course. Kuroko hushes a crying Kise while Midorima keeps asking where his favorite zookeeper is. In the meantime, Kiyoshi feels a gaze dig him inside. He notices the purple haired kid keeps staring at him. He wears a smile, but Murasakibara keeps his face unreadable.

"What's wrong, Murasakibara?" he asks, trying to compete with the chatters filling up the surrounding.

"You're a giant," the kid simply notes.

"Huh?!"

"You're too big. I don't like it. I have to look up and it hurts my neck. I hate it."

"You have to look up to talk with Kuroko too, don't you?"

"Kuro-chin is different. He's nice and I like Kuro-chin. But, you, I don't like you," for once, he sounds so angry. Murasakibara doesn't know why, but hatred pricks its needle into his heart.

"Well, I can't help for being tall. But, once you've grown up, you'll be taller than me," again, Kiyoshi puts on his sincere grin.

But, it doesn't melt Murasakibara's icy heart. He shuffles past Kiyoshi, rendering him dumbstruck, muttering; "I still hate you."

"Please excuse us, Teppei-san," Akashi suddenly speaks up with an apologetic smile and follows Murasakibara.

"Wereanimals are very hard to understand, after all," Kiyoshi simply concludes before joining the noisy crowd.

* * *

**weirdgrammar: Do kill me due to the late installment!**

**KUROKO: I don't think that is a wise idea.  
**

**weirdgrammar: Oh yeah. You're right. That's all for now. Till then~**


End file.
